


Give me a break

by Depress_o



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, M/M, One Shot, Or romantic, Sleeping Outside, absolutely no smut ya nasties, because of geralt, could be read as platonic, could this be considered fluff?, geralt is dense, got this idea while showering like two weeks ago, love confession kinda, this is soft, tiny bit of swearing, tried to keep them true to their characters but who knows, you tell me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:01:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22388359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Depress_o/pseuds/Depress_o
Summary: Upon getting told that he sang in his sleep, Jaskier is bent on finding a way to hear his "masterpiece". He decides to ask for Geralt's help and softness ensues.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 17
Kudos: 254





	Give me a break

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all, writing preexisting characters is a first for me, so here's hoping they managed to stay in character. If not, fuck me I guess. Anyways, hope you enjoy these two chaotic idiot boyfriends.  
> Also I gave up by the end so this could be kinda shitty, one day I might change it but for now this is as good as I'm willing to make it.  
> Disclaimer: I've only seen the Netflix series.

After a whole day of travelling from Vizima to Drakenborg, Jaskier was exhausted. They took off the day before from the former, and had been travelling since. It was now well into the night and Jaskier knew that even his witcher could feel the tug of exhaustion in his limbs.

He himself was currently sitting by the fire, waiting for Geralt to return. The bard's legs felt like jelly after such a long trip, so just sitting down already felt like a blessing. He did get to ride Roach for about half a day during their travel, but eventually he had to get off; Geralt didn't want to tire her out more than absolutely necessary which was understandable. Luckily, the weather was on their side that night; despite it being late autumn, the temperature was just above cool. That meant they could spend the night under the stars without risking hypothermia.

So there he was, sitting by the fire, listening to the crackling of firewood and pondering about a particular issue that had been bothering him for a few days. It served as a constant itch under his skin he could never relieve- without Geralt's help, that is. The witcher was out hunting for food for the two of them while Jaskier stayed by the warmth of the fire, looking over Roach. Geralt would say it was the other way around, and well, when he actually thought about it, maybe it was.

"Hey Roach, I've been thinking. I know he's almost back so I have to make this quick. Do you think Geralt would be willing to sing for me?" The horse grunted, but the bard was quick to clarify. "Not like _that_! I know he doesn't sing, but this is different. Just hear me out, okay?" Roach leaned an ear forward which he took as a sign of curiosity.

"A few nights ago I was told I sang in my sleep. It wasn't in the best circumstances, so I sadly didn't have a chance to ask for the melody but I'm extremely curious to hear it! What if I composed the ballad of my life and I'm will never be awake to hear it? What if my unconscious mind is a true genius? I need to find out what I'm singing in my sleep!"

Roach stared at him. "Oh no, he _does_ play a part in this. I just need to get him to stay up for a while, note down the lyrics and then sing it back to me in the morning. That's not too much to ask, right?"

Roach whinnied, a sign that Geralt was now nearby. Jaskier nodded, changing topics.

"Also, have I ever told you that story about the time the bartender tried to scam me, a poor and humble bard? I was helping him, too! Before I livened the place up, everyone in the tavern was absolutely miserable, I'm telling you! Just brooding alone at different tables, like some cheap Geralt copies and honestly, it did not look good on them. So anyway, I go up to the center of the tawern, hey Geralt, and tell them my name and that I was there to lighten the mood and entertain them" He spoke, greeting his friend when he emerged from behind the shadowy silhouettes of the nearby trees. He hummed in response, setting the dead rabbits on the ground and got started on preparing them while Jaskier continued his story.

"They didn't even react at all! Not a thank you or anything. Well, they did throw a shoe at me, which was unpleasant but joke's on them, 'cause I sold that shoe on the market the next day for five coins" He said, smiling triumphantly. He noticed a small smile tugging at the corners of Geralt's mouth, although it could had very well been just the shadows shifting on his face.

"Anyway, I asked them whether they had ever seen a witcher before. They didn't, obviously, they just heard the rumors. So, I said 'Well that's too bad. But today's your lucky day, gentlemen! I just happen to be the bard who wrote such widely-known ballads as this!' Then I started to sing 'Toss a coin to your witcher' and let me tell you! They _loved_ it. I mean, at first they acted like they were annoyed but by the time the chorus came along they were extatic! All singing with me and stomping the rhythm with their legs! Ah! It was wonderful, Geralt!"

"Hmm" Came the meaningful reply to his story.

"Yeah! So, after i set the mood, I went onto sing a few local songs, like 'Once she meets my eyes' and there's this great jig I learned back when I worked at that inn! It's so easy to sing but it sounds real good. I'm actually not sure if you heard me sing it yet! It goes like this,

My mother always told me,  
don't worry 'bout the money  
Get some pretty ladies,  
with lots of those gold pennies  
You take their hands in marriage,  
keep 'em at different cities,  
'Til they throw you down that ol' bridge  
And stay by th'other's titties!

And it keeps repeating. Catchy, isn't it? Oh, especially when there are multiple people signing in different ranges! Oh Geralt, I really have to perform it more often. You know what, I'll make it up to you! The first bar we go into in Drakenborg, I'll sing all the less known songs I know. How long is it from here anyway? I really do wish we had a map. We should get one, Geralt, don't you think so?"

"We don't need one" He grunted.

"Well you don't, that's for sure! So then, where are we exactly?"

"About halfway"

"Well no wonder, considering how fast we were going! I could barely catch my breath!"

"Yet you still kept on singing"

"Because that's what I do, Geralt! I take the feeling of unbearable pain that I suffer through daily and turn it into a song for all the world to listen"

"So you're complaining"

"In short, maybe. Do you think the rabbits are ready? I'm starving"

"Almost"

"Okay. Have you ever been to Drakenborg before, Geralt?" Jaskier asked, easily changing topics in the blink of an eye.

"Hmm"

"I have, once, way back when I left the inn and started wandering around the country. I stayed at the first inn I found and sang a few jigs for them. It was still the beginning of my career, maybe my second performance? Third? I honestly couldn't tell you, it all kinda starts melting together after a while. I couldn't even tell you how many times I performed over the years! Or even since I met you. You do get special treatment though, being able to hear my songs while I'm writing them all day every day. Most people would kill for that so: you're welcome"

"Hmm" The hum almost sounded like a laugh. Almost.

"Although I do have to admit, you inspire me quite a lot. The whole witcher thing is a true goldmine, too. Not only do I help you gain a fitting reputation for yourself but I also get to witness the stories I tell in real life! It's honestly, oh thank you" The bard immediately stopped talking as he took the freshly fried rabbit handed to him.

For a few minutes, the witcher got to enjoy a blessed silence as Jaskier happily devoured his part. Eating after a long day of walking was one of the rare times the bard stayed quiet voluntarily. Geralt basked in the silence before getting started on his own rabbit.

The silence was short lived though, because as soon as Jaskier finished his rabbbit, he started speaking. Again.

"So, Geralt! Fun fact, this week it was made clear to me that I sing in my sleep"

"How am I not surprised" Grunted the other in-between bites. Jaskier's eyes comically widened.

"I honestly don't know how because it was a huge revelation to me! I knew I liked composing, singing and performing but to do it even in my sleep? Unbelievable!"

Geralt hummed. At least he got that part right.

"How did I find out, I hear you say? See I just happened to be staying at an inn in Vizima for a week or so when one morning, the owner pulls me aside- a quite rude man, might I add. So he pulls me aside one morning after a few nights there, and he says, he says this: 'Listen here little fellow - as if he wasn't a head shorter than me -, I don't care who you are, I've had enough of you disturbing my slumber with your antics. Keep it down or in your pants or else you won't get to spend another night here'! Can you believe it? I hadn't even brought anyone upstairs! So like any order-abiding good bard, I told him this, which he dared answer with 'What, so you serenade yourself every night?'!" Jaskier made a sour face, waiting for the other's sympathy. To his disappointment, he only got a raised eyebrow and the question,

"Well, did you?"

"Geralt! No, don't you get it? I was _singing_ in my _sleep_!"

"And?"

"And? It is said that the less the artist is aware of the process, the better the final result! That means, that while I was asleep, I composed something so wonderful I can literally only dream of recreating it!"

"Hm" Geralt really didn't care about any of this.

"So my dilemma is that when I asked the man to sing it back to me and rate it from a scale from 1-10, he just got angry and said things like 'No way I'm gonna sing for a fucking manwhore, sleeping with anyone and anything that looks at you' which, also, was really hurtful and not at all true, but anyway! Now I'm left to wonder about the beauty of my secret serenade for all my life! Unless of course, a special someone could stay awake to listen, then sing it back to me in the morning!"

Geralt finally understood the point of the story. "I'm not gonna sing to you, Jaskier"

"Oh come _on_ Geralt, is this cause really not worth enough to stay up for?"

"No" It really wasn't.

"Why not?" Jaskier whined.

"I'm not gonna stay awake all night just to hear you sing, when I get to do that literally all day, every day"

"But this isn't like all my other songs! This is special! Have you ever heard the tale of the bard who composed music in his sleep?" The bard barely even breathed between the sentences, not giving Geralt any chance to actually answer.

"Of course not, because no one's done that before! Imagine me starting my performance with a tale of the night where I wrote a profound and mysterious piece that took the breath away from everyone who heard it!"

"I doubt anyone would care"

"I disagree! The people of Temaria love music, so if I could only get my hands on the lyrics and the melody, I could fix it up a little and compose the ballad of my life!" Jaskier exclaimed, grinning at the unamused witcher facing him.

"Or you could just sing the songs you usually sing"

"Geralt I hate to say this, but you're acting incredibly unprofessional right now. What kind of a bard are you?" The witcher was ready to state that he wasn't a bard but his companion dismissed him. "Just in case you forgot, a good bard always strives to widen his repertoire for two very important reasons! First, not to bore his crowd and second, because the bard's purpose is music! For example, who would I be without the most prominent thing keeping me myself in this wast valley of suffering?"

"This is the first time I'm hearing this"

"I didn't think I'd need to clarify" Jaskier scuffed, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Hm"

"Is that a 'Yes dear Jaskier, I'll help you' I hear?"

"No, it's a 'Fuck off, Jaskier, I'm not gonna waste my night on you'" Geralt sighed; he was growing tired of this topic.

"Please Geralt! I'll do you a favour like, I'll sing you an extra song tomorrow!"

"You could stay quiet for once"

"I appreciate your effort, but we're listing good things here, not punishments"

"Hm"

"Well, I could- I could carry your swords for you tomorrow! Aren't those heavy?"

"You couldn't even lift one of them, let alone carry both of them for the whole day"

"Well, maybe, okay. Or! I could.. uhm. Maybe, uhm. Geralt, wait. What _can_ I do? Am I only good at being a bard and in bed?"

"How should I know?" Jaskier didn't even bat an eye at the comment.

"I mean I can do lots of things! I know singing, writing, composing, I can read maps, I'm good with people, I can run pretty fast? But how can I do you a favour with any of those? Roach, what do you think?" Jaskier asked, turning towards their loyal travel companion.

The horse was already dosing off, not paying attention to any of them. Jaskier took that her silence as an agreement.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Ah, I know! I could buy you a blanket in Temaria! With the money I have left from last week!"

"You'd end up hogging it"

Jaskier's eyebrows shot up. "Uhm rude, I don't _hog_ things!" He spoke in an over dramatic tone.

"So why is my cape on your shoulders?"

"Because it's cold and you're big and strong so you really don't need it. Also because you can be soft when you want to be and willingly gave it to me, your shivering friend" After hearing that, Geralt rolled his eyes and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Sure. You mean 'because you'd be useless if you were sick'"

"I'll only be useless when I'm dead. Until then, it's all writing songs for me!"

"Hm"

"So back to the point-"

"There's no point, I won't stay up until dawn just to listen to your incomprehensible blabber" It seemed Jaskier wasn't planning on letting it go anytime soon.

"Hey! The bar owner compared it to a serenade! Meaning it had to be at least decent!"

"So you admit it was just you muttering nonsense"

"I'm not admitting anything; I'm _saying_ that there's a very real possibility that it might just be a mixture of my already existing works, but the saying could also be true! Otherwise why would people keep saying it?"

"People say witchers don't have feelings" His partner said, staring into the bard's eyes.

"Well people are dumb and they believe any old tales that they hear without even questioning them" Jaskier stopped abruptly upon noticing Geralt's amused face. "What"

"You're contradicting yourself"

"And the sky is blue. What are you getting at?"

"Why do you believe in that but not the rumors about me?"

"Cause I know better Geralt. Everyone has feelings, no matter what race they are. We all cope with our lives differently, but judgement won't better anyone else's situation"

"Hm"

"So can I count on you? Geralt? Please?" He sang, purposefully stretching the first half of the 'please'. The witcher looked up at the sky; judging by the moon, it was getting close to midnight. At this rate, none of them would get any sleep. So, as tired as he was, he gave up arguing with the bard. All he wanted was some peace and quiet after a long day of travelling but it was clear that Jaskier wouldn't stop pestering him about the issue until he gave in or got mad. He had no energy left for the latter, so his only option was to accept.

"Okay"

"Why not? I'm your closest friend an- wait, did you actually say yes?"

"Don't make me take it back"

"Geralt, you're the best! Thank you so much!"

"Hm"

"Good night, then!" With that, the bard quickly laid down on the ground with Geralt's cape as a make-shift blanket. His heartbeat was elevated; probably from the excitement of being able to hear what he sang in his sleep the other night. He concentrated on the sound of the wood crackling from the fire, which slowly but surely helped him relax. Soon, felt the blissful darkness of sleep take his body in with a calm hug. His thoughts turned into rivers: melting away and flowing in quiet little streams, leaving a wasteland of unconsciousness behind.

Geralt listened to the bard's breathing calm into a slow rhythm as he fell asleep. It could take Jaskier hours just to start singing, which meant he'd have to entertain himself until then. This wasn't his first time forcing his tired body not to fall asleep, so he knew all the signs of sleep taking him over- and how to fight it them. He sat back, checking on Roach, who fell asleep sometime after he got back with the rabbits. That meant he was alone with his thoughts.

With Jaskier almost always around, this was a rare occurence. He got pretty good at tuning the bard's non-stop stream of nonsense out, but being able to sit next to a fire with nothing but quiet breathing and the occasional sound of the wind moving leaves around was rare. He liked the silence: it was calm and comforting. Before he met Jaskier, he couldn't stand listening to other people. Just waiting for them to finish giving him their quests was agonising torture for him. That had changed: while he still wasn't a fan of useless chit-chat with others, he could tolerate it much better. He could spend entire nights at inns now, stay in taverns for more than a few minutes and talk to people without immediately wanting to carve their face off.

With Jaskier, it was different.

He never lied about how much he hated the bard's incapability to shut the fuck up. Listening to him talk on and on about everything and nothing at the same time was infuriating, exhausting and extremely annoying. However, and this is the part he had just recently started admitting to himself, it was also somewhat comforting. It had been decades since he felt this way with anyone. This closeness, this fondness... if there was one word he could describe him as, it would be...

home.

Truth be told, realising that made his blood run cold. He swore many moons before that he'd never get attached to anyone, yet here he was, staying awake possibly all night, just to hear Jaskier sing some mixture of the ballads he usually sings. It wasn't even the lack of sleep that bothered him: it was the fact, that he, a _witcher_ , Geralt of Rivia and whatnot, got attached to Jaskier. A bard with no shame, a huge heart and countless stories to tell.

His stories were usually boring and repetative. If Geralt had to name something that applied to the majority of his stories, he could easily list a few: sleeping with a married person, being broken up with, being beaten up/chased out from taverns because of his attitude and big mouth, et cetera. But there were some other types of stories, too. These were rare, and only came up after a long while of travelling together, with no-one else around.

"Hey Geralt" The bard usually said, breaking the brief silence left by the ending of his last story about irrelevant things. "Do you sometimes wonder who you are?"

Geralt's answer was always different, yet the same. From a deep-in-thought hum to a spoken 'no'. Jaskier wouldn't look at him, no actual reaction to confirm that he heard the witcher. He'd just stare at the stars, or the skies; sometimes the road ahead of them and grab his lute. He'd play some chords, but he wouldn't say anything. Yet, somehow, Geralt would be enthralled and almost forced to focus on them, and only them.

To anyone else, it would be him slowly going insane from listening to Jaskier's blabbering all day but at these times, he felt like he could hear the stories the bard had in his head. The chord progressions calmly but surely invaded his mind, showing him the quiet corners of the bard's soul. Sometimes, Jaskier would start talking. Not for Geralt, but for the night sky. As if Geralt had just happened to be there.

These moments were intimate. The stories rarely had a point or an ending to them; sometimes they only consisted of a single word muttered by the musician, lost in thought. He could start, explain and end the thought in a single word. He'd play his lute for a while after, seemingly not fully aware, mostly out of muscle memory. The short while of such slow chords coloring the night air around them always put the witcher in a trance. It was usually Jaskier who brought him back to reality by shaking his head slightly and turning around to look at him.

'It's cold isn't it?', 'Aren't you tired Geralt?', 'Should we set up camp for the night?' or 'I'm so hungry! Think you can get us something to eat?'. It was always one of these questions. Geralt would agree with whatever the bard chose to say, but the melody of the other's soul still lingered in his ears, the imaginary sound melting into the beat of Jaskier's heart.

Then it happened. Jaskier, despite being asleep, quietly spoke up. It wasn't sudden, more like a gradual increase in his volume, from mute to a sweet whisper. It took Geralt by surprise, unsure whether he was actually hearing the other talk or if it was his imagination making him hear things. It was real though. He grabbed the bard's notebook, and focused on Jaskier.

It wasn't a difficult task: his voice was soft but words certain. He was indeed singing; a slow calm melody, his voice slightly slurred but clear. It wasn't a long song, there were only four lines that the bard kept repeating. His voice never faltered: the words kept gently rolling off his tongue as he sang. He seemed- proud? No, not that.

Content. He seemed- _was_ content with the song he was singing. It made Geralt think about the saying the bard brought up earlier in the night, 'the less the artist is aware of the process, the better the final result'. Judging by Jaskier's calm and content tone, it seemed true. After listening to it a few times (only to make sure that he didn't miss any lines) he too, laid down. The fire had already died sometime while Geralt was deep in thought, so he let himself be lulled to sleep by his closest friend's sweet ballad.

.

"Geralt! The song, did you get it? Did I sing it? Was it amazing?" The witcher was awoken by the loud and excited bard kneeling next to him. It took his mind a short while to understand what Jaskier was referring to.

"Hello! Geralt! Geralt, are you awake?" Came the next round of questions. The witcher groaned, mumbling something about the bard's notebook. There was a short sound of ruffling leaves as Jaskier hopped over to their bags and by the ruffling of pages, it sounded like he found the notebook. Geralt kept his eyes closed as he felt his senses waking more and more each passing second. Hearing a shocked hiss he sat up, checking over his shoulder to check on Jaskier.

... who was looking slightly pale. His blue eyes ran over the lines once before looking up and staring at Geralt.

"Is this what I was singing? In my sleep?"

"Hm"

Jaskier turned away from Geralt, staring at the trees before him. He mumbled something to himself, which sounded like a 'Fuck me'. He disregarded the bard and stood up before walking over to Roach. Jaskier took a deep breath and turned back around.

"So! I really appreciate your help, and I'll uh, see if I can use this. It's not really, uhm, something I can use but it's still cool. So thanks"

Geralt raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Jaskier, as if nothing happened, started talking.

"So, we're about halfway to Drakenborg, right? Thank God, I can't wait to perform there again. Oh, and show you all those less-known songs I don't sing too often"

"Sure"

With that, they were off again, the morning sun shining on them and lighting the path to their destination. Although faint, Geralt could still hear last night's song echo in the cracking of sticks under their feet, in the buzzing of the wind and in the splashing of the river nearby.

'You're the only thing at all,

My mind and soul's forever yours.

In life-death I'll walk by your side,

Without you who even am I'

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not native in English so feel free to tell me if I messed up somewhere. Feedback lengthens my lifespan by the way.


End file.
